


dwarf sunflower

by bunny093



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Kenma Ship Week 2020, Language of Flowers, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, established iwasuga, with a dash of coffee shop, yakunoya hint, yamayachi hint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25579960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunny093/pseuds/bunny093
Summary: “You don’t believe in destiny?”“No, I believe destiny is in our hands. Like in a game, we choose our path and we live what is in it.”He smiled, softly and yet - still bright.For a moment Kenma thought,I’m like a sunflower looking at the sun.[ kenma ship week day 3 - flower shop ]
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma
Comments: 6
Kudos: 78
Collections: Kenma Ship Week 2020





	dwarf sunflower

**Author's Note:**

> english is not my first language, so i'm sorry for any mistakes~ a big thank you for brenda and rex <3

He never thought he would be here, in this place and in this situation, but he was - and he wasn’t sad or frustrated, he was  _ happy _ . When he was little, he imagined being all over the world doing what he likes most, never could he even dream of owning a flower shop, and here he is, knowing every single flower’s name and meaning and booking events and preparing for Valentine’s Day. And he also served coffee inside, the smell calling people into his establishment and involuntarily buying a flower just because. And he wasn’t alone, oh no, he had help from high school kids and a college one besides his friend from his own days as a high schooler who co-owner the shop with him.

This was the Cat Flower & Coffee Shop, situated in a narrow street in the heart of Tokyo city, popular for its relaxing ambiance and cute orange cat who likes to bump her tiny head into costumer’s legs.

For him, today was just another day, waking up early to open the shop, helping in the cafe part of it, watering the flowers and scratching their cat, Rikku, belly with a smile, ignoring the cooing sounds his colleagues pretended not to do while watching him. It was peaceful, even if they had morning rush with working adults and sleepy teenagers and university students.

But, on that fine spring day, his friend looked nervous, jumping every time the little bell chimed with a new customer going inside the shop. His eyes were never far from the door, his lower lip chewed and bright red. Someone was coming and he wasn’t saying anything - almost like expecting them not to come. With a sigh, he kept trimming the plants in silence, waiting for this person to arrive and his friend to calm down.

And then, a little more than half an hour to close for the day -

“Morisuke!” came the loud voice from the door, mixing with the sound of the bell being violently shaken as the glass door opened and two people came inside “I came! And I brought a friend too!”

_ So loud _ . He sighed, not so discreetly looking at what appeared to be Yaku’s friend.

“Yuu.” the man smiled, his nervousness disappearing in a blink, cleaning his hands fast before approaching the man by the entrance “I thought you wouldn’t come.”

“Well, I got to do everything in time to come, sorry I’m a little late.” he smiled brightly, laughing a little.

“It’s ok.” Yaku said, his cheek a little more pink than it should be.

Oh.

“Yaku-san, your shop is so pretty!” came another loud voice.

It was the second man, bright orange hair looking fluffy even from afar. He was smiling as brightly as his companion, looking all around the shop with stars in his eyes. Sighing, he resumed his silent working with the plants and tuned out their conversation. He didn’t really like loud noises and the shop was usually pleasantly quiet - the relaxing playlist Yaku liked to play throughout the day helped a lot too - so it was somewhat annoying to have that peace shattered with their too loud voices.

He sighed once more, liking the way his flowers were displayed and how the plants were slowly and healthily growing in their pots.

“What’s the name of this flower? Do you know the meaning?”

Jumping a little and almost dropping everything in his hand, he looked to his side, to the orange haired boy who was looking at him with curious eyes, finger pointing at a lilac flower, crouching near him like he was there since the beginning. His heart was beating loud and fast, taken by surprise after thinking he was alone the whole time.

“That’s a heliotrope, if you get closer you can breath in the scent.” he said, looking at the flower for a brief moment before starting to spray water in the plant he was working on before (and trying very hard not to look too much at the man).

“Really? Waah it’s like cherry!”

“Yeah, it's often a comparison.” lifting and dropping his shoulders like it was nothing; he kept working and not looking at the other “The meaning is eternal love and devotion.”

“Waaa~ And this one?”

“That’s a peony, it means bashfulness and happy life.”

“That’s so cool! You know every flower by name and meaning?!”

He looked at him, watching his bright smile as he sniffed at the flower again.

“I’m Hinata Shouyou, by the way!” the orange man said, looking at him suddenly.

“...Kenma.”

“Kenma…” he repeated before smiling more brightly than before “Kenma, you’re really cool!”

His heart skipped a beat before he could think about anything but that smile. It’s not so often he’s called cool or something so nice - besides the neighborhood grandmas who liked to call him cute.

“Yaku-san said you’re the owner together with him, that’s so amazing!” he laughed a little “I work with Noya-san and we were doing errands with him today. I think it was destiny, you know. If I wasn’t with him today I wouldn’t come here and find this shop.”

Kenma laughed at that, airy and softly “How silly.”

“You don’t believe in destiny?”

“No, I believe destiny is in our hands. Like in a game, we choose our path and we live what is in it.”

He smiled, softly and yet - still bright.

For a moment Kenma thought,  _ I’m like a sunflower looking at the sun _ .

“So you like games, Kenma?”

“Yeah, I think.” he looked at the flowers, feeling his heart doing flips inside his chest “What do you like, Shouyou?”

“I like sports! Specially volleyball! It’s so fun to play with friends and win. But I like art too! Because I’m an artist, you know.” he smiles, puffing his chest proudly.

Kenma laughed again “You’re really interesting. Sports and art… That’s so different.”

“I like doing stuff with my friends the most.” Shouyou said softly, a smile in his lips and a far away look in his eyes, as if remembering something good. He looked precious like this, younger and naïve - it makes Kenma want to protect him from the evils of the world.

How silly, indeed.

Before they could do or say anything, the orange boy was called to go. It felt too short, in that instant, the time they spent talking to each other - way too short, and they wanted more.

“Ah… I have to go…” Shouyou said, a small sad smile in his lips turning into a hopeful one a second later “Can… I come back another day?”

“I’m here everyday.”

Shouyou smiled brightly at him, even more than before and Kenma for a second thought he needed sunglasses to protect his eyes. But, as a sunflower, he was happy to be showered with sunlight.

Yaku didn’t say anything while they were closing the store silently, he was smiling to himself most of it anyway and Kenma could only think of one reason - the loud friend who came with Shouyou earlier. It was quiet that time although it was too early at night to be deserted in the streets, and it made them feel at peace, working hard to go back to their homes.

Kenma was nervous the next day, making small mistakes while taking care of the flowers and plants, anxiously looking at the door waiting for the orange man to barge into the shop unannounced just like the day before, speaking loudly and getting so much attention just by being himself. But Shouyou never came, not that day or the next one and Kenma was still nervous.

Was he… expecting him?

The soft sigh at the closing time… Was he feeling disappointed because the other man didn’t come?

It was almost a week later when Shouyou showed up again in the shop, as brightly and loud as the first time, but this time he was alone, walking straight to where he could see Kenma wrapping a small bouquet of white roses for a elderly client with a small sincere smile in his face softening his expression. Shouyou’s heart fluttered inside his chest, happy and excited, as he saw his friend, cautiously getting closer and waiting for him to be free.

“Kenma!” Shouyou said loudly as soon as he said goodbye to the grandma.

Getting scared with the sudden loud voice calling right behind him, Kenma jumped a little (almost like the first time they interact) - and Shouyou thought distractly that he looked like a startled cat.

“Shouyou.” he sighed, hand in chest and troubled expression. He was really scared for a second.

“Sorry.” he giggled.

“It’s okay, but don’t do that again please. I’m too young to die and I still want to play the games I’m waiting for.” with a deep breath, he calmed his heart, looking at the other with sharp and annoyed eyes.

“You really like games.” Shouyou hummed before smiling “Okay! I won’t scare you again, I promised.” he puffed out his chest, putting a fist in front of it like he was a hero and making Kenma laugh at him.

“Silly.”

Shouyou smiled again, that big bright smile Kenma was almost expecting - and he felt like a sunflower looking at the sun all over again.

It was closer to summer now and the sun was getting hotter and hotter outside, Kenma knew that because he couldn’t use his hoodies without sweating disgustingly. That’s why he was slightly curious to see Shouyou wearing long sleeves during the early afternoon, wasn’t he too hot in those? Does he sweat under that, even if it looked really thin?

They sat in front of each other in one of the café’s small round tables with little bouquets of flowers and a note with their meanings (their table had an ivy flower), glasses of cold drinks between their hands while Shouyou talked and Kenma listened. He supposed he could call the orange haired man his friend, even though he makes his heart flip inside his chest like it was a normal thing to do in the present of another person.

Sitting there, Kenma learned about the other man, how he and his friends from school opened a tattoo parlor in the capital together after the only senpai between them got them hooked about it, and how he lived in the mountains, isolated from almost everything, and the shock of moving to a big city - although Tokyo was too big to be simply called ‘big city’. Shouyou talked in an even voice, sometimes getting a little loud, and gestured a lot with his hands when he couldn’t explain something, abusing self-made sound effects to help it too.

The florist never looked away while listening, drinking his ice tea slowly.

“Kenma, why are you looking at me like that?” Shouyou laughed a little embarrassed after talking so much while having his new friend’s entire attention.

“I just think you’re adorable for a tattoo artist.” he said simply, lifting his shoulders and hiding his smile behind his almost empty glass.

“Aren’t you the silly one now?” Shouyou laughed again, his cheeks tinted softly with pink.

“Maybe.”

Kenma wanted to know more about Shouyou.

The thought was sudden and unwelcomed, and made him a bit uncomfortable and uneasy. This was just the second time they met, too soon to really know the other besides basic things like what he did and where he lived - and with whom because apparently he shared an apartment with someone. Unfortunately, his brain didn’t listen to him and filed everything he could, even the way Shouyou holds the glass to drink his ice tea - a different flavor from his.

And why did he use long sleeves during summer heat?

He learned the answer to that question a few weeks later while Shouyou visited the shop once again (it was only the seventh time) - he had tattoos in his arms and society still thought lowly of people who inked their skins, so he has to conceal all of them to make everyone else feel better while talking to him (and without judging). Kenma fell slightly sad about it, and a bit angry.

“You must have beautiful art in your arms, it’s a shame I can’t see.” he sighed, eyes focusing on watering the flowers outside the shop.

(he lost the moment Shouyou’s face turned pink)

“Do… you want to see it?” he asked softly, embarrassed - shy for the first time in his presence.

“Hm?” Kenma turned, looking at his friend doing nervous gestures “...Yeah.”

Shouyou looked really happy when he heard that, excited his friend didn’t judge him like so many others - like his own family do.

“You can visit me at my work, then!” he said loudly, making a few heads turn their way.

Kenma wanted to laugh at the excited expression Shouyou was wearing so proudly, and he did, softly and with a hand in front of his mouth “Okay.” he answered finally “I’ll go, just text me the address and I’ll visit you on my day off. If that’s ok…?”

“It’s more than ok, Kenma!” he nodded with his eyes close.

How was it possible to be that adorable and bright? Shouyou was really like the sun, wasn’t he?

(and Kenma was just like a sunflower)

Kenma was getting attached, he knew that - could feel it inside his chest and in the tingling on his fingertips. He and Shouyou exchanged numbers at the beginning of their friendship, on the second day they met to be exact, and the other man was as talkative through mail as he was in real life. And, although the florist wasn’t one to talk much, Shouyou never complained nor tried to make him talk more.

It was mutual acceptance of each other’s personalities.

During a Saturday afternoon, the sun shining brightly behind fluffy white clouds and an hour and something away from where his own shop is, Kenma opened the glass door and entered the cold tattoo parlor - the Crow Ink, with its red brick and koi fish carefully painted in the front glass like black tattoos.

There was a small couch at his right and a front desk right in front, a door to its left with a thin black curtain that probably leads to where the artists does their magic, and a lot of framed pictures to his left. The door closed behind him, the summer bell chiming loudly with it, and he walked to the girl behind the desk, who smiled politely at him.

“Hello, good afternoon, looking for a tattoo or a piercing?” she said happily and Kenma noticed the three little piercings in each ear.

“I’m looking for Shouyou…”

She looked confused for a moment before smiling again, a bit more sincere than before “Ah, you must be Kenma-san. Wait here a little, I’ll call him.”

He nodded, hiding his hands in his jeans pockets and trying to calm his racing heart. The girl went through the black curtain and Kenma busied himself looking at the framed pictures and original arts, it was all very beautiful and different from what he imagined - he really didn’t know much about tattoos if he was honest.

“Kenma!” said man turned quickly to see Shouyou with eyes closed like he was smiling, black disposable mask in his face together with black rubber gloves. He was wearing a black shirt with the shop’s logo, his tattoos fully displayed in dark and colorful ink “I’m finishing this one and I’ll be right with you, ok?”

The florist nodded and said a softly “Ok.” before watching Shouyou disappear behind the curtain again.

He only had time for a deep breath, and barely, before the girl came back with a happy smile, asking if he wanted something to drink. He denied and went back to admiring the pictures, taking another deep breath and willing himself to not be so nervous around new people.

This was Shouyou’s coworker and probably his friend too, there’s no need to feel as if they’re going to say or do something against him - and please, brain, be quiet.

“A lot of that is from the owner.” the girl said, approaching him slowly “Sugawara-san is really passionate about tattoos, that’s why we followed him from high school.”

“He was your classmate?” he looked briefly at her, seeing her shining eyes staring at a particular picture of a crow tattoo.

“Ah, no.” she laughed softly “He was a senpai. Me, Hinata-kun and Tadashi-kun were first years when we met Sugawara-san, he was in his last year. We were all clubmates and got along. Sugawara-san was already an apprentice of a local tattoo artist back in Miyagi when we met, and he talked about the arts and drawings he wanted to do and learn. It was nice and we ended up loving it too, so when we all graduated we followed our senpai to work with him too.” she smiled brightly - not as brightly as Shouyou “Tadashi-kun and I do piercings and we work part-time somewhere else during some days of the week, I only do piercings in womens, you know, to make them feel comfortable.” she huffed, cutely and proudly, and Kenma snorted a little “Hinata-kun and Sugawara-san are the only tattoo artists stationed here, they are very good at what they do.”

“Noya… san…? Isn’t he a tattoo artist too?” he asked curiously. He remembered Shouyou saying they worked together but she didn’t mention him until now.

“Oh! He’s our senpai too, but he’s a freelancer. He teaches more than he does tattoos and he’s always traveling somewhere because of it. He’s pretty famous in our area.”

She pointed at the picture she was staring at before, a gentle smile on her lips. Kenma looked at it with more attention - it was, what it looked like, a man’s back, with muscles and a little more dark than his own pale skin, with more than a dozen crows flying away while some were watching them from a power pole.

“Sugawara-san made this for his friend, he was our captain during first year and a classmate of his. This is us, our club, and this is me.” she pointed at a little crow sitting on the pole “And this is Hinata-kun.”

It was a little crow flying, behind almost every other one, apparently fighting a bigger crow, it was kind of adorable and Kenma smiled, getting closer to see more details.

“Why fighting?”

The girl laughed again “That’s Kageyama-kun, he and Hinata-kun are friends and they’re always fighting and screaming at each other like kids.”

“Everyone in this tattoo… they’re still friends now?” he was curious, because she kept talking like it was a recent thing.

“Oh, yes, we always meet at least once per year.” she nodded, getting flustered as if remembering something “Ah, I’m Yachi Hitoka, sorry for not saying my name before.”

“Kozume Kenma, but you can call me Kenma.” he nodded back.

He sat on the couch a moment later, pulling out his phone to play one of the games he had while waiting for Shouyou, Yachi going back to her work on the desk. It was silent, with just the weird buzzing sound of a machine through the curtain - probably Shouyou’s little tattoo gun leaving a dark trail in someone’s skin - and, sometimes, a laugh.

Time passed quickly without him noticing, too immersed in his game to feel the dull ache in his neck, before Shouyou finally finished his work, walking out to the reception area with another man talking about lotions and how to protect his tattoo while it healed, and to call them if something weird happens. While the man talked to Yachi about fees, Shouyou approached Kenma, who pocket his phone back to give his attention to his dear friend.

“Sorry for making you wait.” he said, hand behind his neck in a nervous way. He already took off his mask and gloves, a thin red line in his nose.

“It’s okay, I like it here.” the florist smiled.

“Really?!” Shouyou’s eyes shined brightly at that, making Kenma’s heart skip a beat.

The man from before said his goodbye to Shouyou before getting out of the establishment with a chiming of the summer bells on the glass door. The tattoo artist smiled happily, waving at him until he disappeared from the front, saying loudly to his coworker that he’s going to have a break with Kenma behind the shop and receiving a thumbs up from her - and to tell Sugawara-san about it because apparently he went out.

“There’s a sitting area at the back, come.” he smiled, waiting for his friend to get up before starting to walk into the studio.

They passed by the main room with industrial decoration and three black leather chairs that recline and a back leather bed, with a small leather couch and a big clear mirror, into a small hallway with three wooden doors with small hanging signs - bathroom, storage and staff only. Shouyou opened the last door, waiting for Kenma with a smile before closing it behind them, it was a small room with a desk full of papers, a little table at the corner with two chairs, and double doors to a small terrace with plants hanging from the wall and a concrete bench, a black steel door at the end of it.

“Suga-san chose this building because of this terrace, he wanted a place where he could relax between works.” Shouyou said, taking one of the chairs and putting it across the bench “Do you want coffee or something? We have a machine here.”

“Hmm… tea, then.” Kenma smiled, sitting in the chair and looking at the plants “It’s pretty here.”

“I know, right?” Shouyou smiled, giving him a glass with ice tea, before hurrying back to the coffee machine to pick up his cup “You said you wanted to see my tattoos, so here they are.” he said nervously as soon as he was sitting on the bench, showing his arms without looking at his friend.

“You don’t have to be nervous, Shouyou, I won’t judge them. I already think they’re pretty.” he was honest while saying that, getting closer to the other man and touching one of his arms to see it better.

On his left arm, from the wrist until almost his elbow, there was a delicate cherry tree in black and pink, almost realistic and very minimalist. The prettiest cherry tree tattoo he has ever seen in his life if he was honest - and he was. With his index finger he traced the dark lines of the tree trunk, not realizing the shiver going through Shouyou’s body. In his forearm, on the inside part, there were numbers - three small lines of numbers.

“What is this?” Kenma touched it, looking at the tattoo artist for a moment and seeing his pink cheeks.

“Ah…” he squirmed a little, but not uncomfortably “That’s my mom’s and sister’s birthdays and the day me and my high school team went to nationals.”

Kenma nodded, letting go of this arm to go through the other, with many more small tattoos he knew had meanings behind it “Can you tell me about them?”

“Sure!” his voice was excited now, losing the nervous tint “This volleyball is because I used to play during high school, the moon is my friend Tsukishima, the face with stars is Yamaguchi’s freckles, the popsicle is Noya-san because he bought me one when we first met, the face face with a bun and beard is Asahi-san, this person is Daichi-san, the crown is Kageyama because it was his nickname.” Shouyou laughed “The alien saying ‘hola’ is Oikawa who’s in Argentina now, some crows to represent everyone else from my school, the bald guy with heart eyes is Tanaka senpai and the guy beating him with a notebook is Ennoshita-san, the glasses with a dot is Kiyoko-san, the habitant b tree is Yachi, the ‘fly’ is our school slogan, and Suga-san is the coffee because he’s the one who make me like it.” he laughed again “The pikachu and the beach is to remind me of the friends I made in Brazil when I studied there.”

“You went to Brazil?” that was new information. Shouyou never talked about it with him before and that made him a little sad and a bit disappointed - maybe he wasn’t as important as he thought.

“Yeah! I went there for a while to study tattoos on darker skins! They have  _ so _ many different skin tones there, so awesome! I got to know so many people and I learned so much, it really was fun, I miss them sometimes.” he laughed, embarrassed.

“It wasn’t too hot?” he let go of the arm, taking his glass again and drinking a big gulp.

“It was, but not always.” his shoulders went up and down, eyes closing for a second “Say, Kenma…”

“Hm…?”

“Did you like them? My tattoos.” he looked unsure and Kenma wanted nothing but to erase that expression from Shouyou’s face.

“I think they’re pretty interesting.” he smiled “They’re pretty, Shouyou, you shouldn’t be ashamed.”

“Really?”

Shining eyes, bright smile - ah… the sun was back to give light to his sunflower.

“Really.” Kenma nodded.

“I have a tattoo in my back too, you know! Wanna see it?”

Before Shouyou could take his shirt off (without even hearing an ok from Kenma, who immediately started to say no), the steel door opened with a loud metal noise, a man with silver hair and happy smile passing through and closing the door behind him, a cup of coffee with ice in his hand.

“Oh, good afternoon.” he said as soon as he saw he wasn’t alone, a little surprised, but still smiling.

“Suga-san, your lunch breaks are getting longer and longer these days… Iwaizumi-san must be reaaaaally patient.” Shouyou said seriously, lips twitching at the corners to hold a smile - or a laugh.

Kenma nodded to the man as a greeting, taking a sip of his tea and willing his heart to calm down.

“Aren’t you cheeky?” the man - Sugawara-san? - said, pinching the younger’s cheek, turning to Kenma with a polite smile “Well, hello, are you friends with Hinata? I’m Sugawara, by the way.”

“Kenma.” he forced a half smile, looking at Shouyou for some support.

Understanding him with only a look, the tattoo artist smiled brightly “He’s the owner of that flower shop with a coffee shop inside, he’s Yaku-san’s friend and work partner, right?” Kenma nodded when Shouyou looked at him to confirm what he said.

“That sounds nice.” Sugawara nodded with a soft smile “Thank you for coming to our shop, Kenma-san, Hinata’s friends are always welcome here.”

“Thank you.” he smiled while looking at his friend.

It seemed like an invisible bubble popped that day, a metaphorical wall crumbling, a bridge being built - their friendship started to bloom deeper.

They were already close, talking to each other via multiple text messages and emails every single day, but now they were going out together every weekend to eat or drink, to see things, to talk, to walk - to be with each other for a whole day without anyone beside them to distract (disturb) their time together.

And, somehow, it started to not be enough.

A whole day together wasn’t enough for them anymore - they wanted  _ more _ .

But how to say this and not sound creepy? Or pushy? Neither of them wanted to impose on the other, afraid to be rejected - or worse, lose their friendship. So they kept quiet for a while, just going along with their (dates) outings.

Until…

“Shouyou, do you want to play something back in my place? I have a new game I think you’ll like.”

It was autumn now, the dry dead leaves decorating the streets and everywhere else they could reach, making crunch sounds while the two men walked down the road side by side after a fun day at a cat café near Shouyou’s workplace. They had jackets on them, Kenma’s almost reaching his knees, to hold the warmth of their bodies, cold, gloveless, hands brushing against each other every other step but never holding, never reaching - between being afraid and just shy.

“Yes!” Shouyou said loudly, eyes shining in the early evening “I would love to.”

Kenma laughed softly, finally reaching to hold onto his friend’s jacket and guiding him to the train station “Do you want to buy something to eat?”

The station wasn’t crowded, so they sat on the cold bench to wait.

“Hm… Meat buns.” Shouyou nodded, proudly of his food choice.

Kenma laughed again “Are you a kid?”

“Hey, meat buns are good, ok?!” he just showed the tip of his tongue in a childish way “But I can cook something if you like.”

Gold sharp eyes looked at the side profile of the man beside him, remembering the time they talked about how it was living alone, away from their family and the home cooked meals their mothers prepared - and how Shouyou learned how to cook at an early age to help his family with his little sister. He smiled, imagining the ginger in his kitchen cooking something he knew it was going to be delicious and couldn’t hold the missed beat his heart just skipped.

“Maybe next time.” he said with a small smile.

And isn’t it funny? How he smiled so much when Shouyou was beside him?

“Do you live above your shop?” he asked, genuinely curious about it.

“No, silly.” he shook his head with a smile “That place is rented, I live somewhere else.”

Shouyou’s eyes lightened up and Kenma could read it like a book - I want to see, I want to  _ know _ .

Kenma’s apartment wasn’t big, and neither it was small, for him it was perfect as it had everything he wanted - a small spare room to use his computer to game until his eyes were too dry to continue, a room to sleep and ignore his childhood best friend when he visits and start to annoy him, a living room open to the dine room and the kitchen so he could be seated on the couch while his friends does whatever; it was the perfect size for him, it even had a small balcony in his bedroom.

They put the bags with food on the dinner table, taking turns to wash up on the bathroom before eating together in comfortable silence.

He liked this, this sweet and soft quietness he could share with his friend without being awkward like with some of his old ones. Shouyou never worried about Kenma not talking - he could talk for the both of them, after all. And he never forced Kenma to “get out of his shell” like he was some shy little boy hiding behind his mother’s legs.

Kenma liked this, and Shouyou respected that - and Kenma liked Shouyou a lot more.

They finished eating talking softly about this and that, a little distracted, doing the dishes together while Shouyou explained something Kenma knew he would forget later but couldn’t say no because the other’s smile was (the sun smile) too adorable. Soon they were sitting on the living room’s floor with controllers in hands, unblinking eyes focused on the television’s screen, playing Kenma’s new game like they said they would.

Nothing really happened that night besides that, and the florist felt slightly disappointed as he said goodbye to his friend.

Maybe next time.

But, unfortunately, when the next time arrived, they weren’t alone like the first time, Kenma’s friends imposing on him with what looked like a gathering - or a party. Yaku and Kuroo were bickering in the kitchen while cooking, Tora happily chopping some vegetables and ignoring the fighting behind him like it was nothing, Kai was arranging the table with Akaashi, while Bokuto and Lev played with Rikku. Inuoka and Fukunaga were playing a racing game with him in the living room, Nishinoya and Shouyou standing behind the couch to cheer them on.

Kenma was happy to be with his friends, really, but there were too many people and noise at the same time, with Kuroo forcing him to eat more than he wanted as always like he was his mother and not only a childhood friend. Shouyou was beside him, thighs touching comfortably as he tried to speak softly with him and sometimes divergenting the attention from him.

Some time later, Kenma escaped to his room, sitting on a cushion on his balcony and letting the cold wind enter, his long hair almost floating around his head after being released from its bun. He could still hear the loud voices outside and felt a small pang of what felt like shame and guilt merged together - he loved his friends, really, but there's so much his tiny social battery could take, and he felt really glad they gave him space at times like this when he felt drained and wanted to be alone for a while.

The door opened and closed quickly, Kenma averting his eyes from the game in his hands to see Shouyou smiling apologetic while approaching him slowly, almost like a human getting closer to a wild animal to not spook it. He smiled, head inclining until the metal bars were supporting it.

“Hi.” Kenma said softly.

Shouyou sat inside the room, still giving his friend space and answered his greeting with his own smile and same tone of voice “Hi.”

He went back to his game, not really in the mood to talk or give someone else attention, and Shouyou stayed there in silence, eyes closed as the wind played with his short hair. After a while, a few short minutes that seemed like hours, Kenma started to feel uncomfortable with Shouyou - not with him being  _ there _ , but him being that  _ far _ . He didn’t know exactly what he was feeling, but he was and he wanted him closer.

“Shouyou.” he waited until the other was looking at him to continue “Come.” he gestured with one hand, giving enough space for him to sit beside him on the cushion.

“You ok?” he asked softly, supporting his back against the metal bars behind him, hands nervously in his lap.

“Hmmm.” Kenma nodded, head in Shouyou’s shoulder.

“Comfortable?” he giggled, moving to reach a more comfortable position for him.

“Very.” Kenma smiled.

A moment or two later, Shouyou was happily dozing off on Kenma, his cheek softly smashed against the other’s head, as he kept silently playing and the little party continued outside the bedroom door. It was nice like this, although it was starting to be a little too cold, the sun disappearing behind tall buildings. Maybe it was time to get up and go back to his friends - he felt better now, social battery almost on full and ready to be zeroed again.

“Shouyou.”

“Hmm…?” his voice was soft, almost weak with drowsiness.

“I was thinking of having a tattoo.”

A moment of silence.

“You are?” Shouyou was more awake now, moving away a bit so he could see Kenma’s expression.

“I think so.” with a movement of his finger, he put his hair behind his ear, showing a little of his face.

“Can I be the one to do it?” Shouyou hesitated for a second.

“Of course, I wouldn’t do it with someone else.” he smiled, looking at his friend with an expression of someone who knew a secret.

Shouyou’s eyes shined like he had the entire milky way barely contained in it.

“Kenma, I like you. Like… I like  _ like _ you.” his cheeks were rosy, part because of the wind, part because of the situation “I think I started to like you that day in your shop when Noya-san took me to visit Yaku-san. My heart was so…  _ ugh _ … Beating so loud like… like right now! And fast! Like when I play volley with my friends, but I’m not even moving so much?!”

And weren’t Kenma’s heart beating as loud and fast as Shouyou?

“And I’m always feeling this  _ fwaaa  _ thing in my belly when I see you and is so weird, but so good?! Am I making sense?” he looked at the other, confused expression and hopeful eyes.

Kenma laughed loudly “Not at all, but I guess it makes sense to me.”

“...Really?”

He nodded, smirking slightly “I like you too, you know.”

“You… You do?”

“Very much, with all the  _ fwaa _ thing.”

Shouyou groaned, hiding his face behind his hands “I’m so dumb.”

“You’re not.” Kenma giggled “You just feel too much to put in words.”

With a sigh, Shouyou looked at the florist “Maybe I am.” he nodded.

They stayed silent for a moment, Kenma raising a hesitant hand to pull Shouyou to his side again, returning to their previous position. The tattoo artist, then, started to cart his fingers through the florist’s long strands of half dyed hair.

“What do we do now? Go on dates?” Shouyou asked, looking at the dark starless sky.

“Weren’t we doing that already?” Kenma hummed, closing his eyes.

“Eh? Were we?” his face scrunched up in thought, eyes lightening right after “Oh.”

“Oh.” Kenma nodded with a smile.

When Kuroo opened the door to ask if they were fine and if they wanted something, both men were kissing softly on the balcony, Kenma’s face almost invisible under his flying hair. They turned his way in surprise, the florist putting a small space between them as his face told his childhood friend about how much he disliked being disturbed.

“Weren’t you saying earlier how Hinata wasn’t your boyfriend?” Kuroo asked with a smirk, crossing his arms.

“Shut up.” Kenma wrinkled his nose, getting up.

“Am I your boyfriend now, Kenma?” Shouyou asked, crawling inside the room and getting up.

“Yes.” the florist smiled.

“Oh, we’re playing favorites now, I see…” Kuroo nodded alone “Well, if you’re going back to the party I’m useless here.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


During a snowing february, after Valentine’s day - a day full of customers for both of them -, Kenma was nervously sitting on one of the reclining leather chairs in the tattoo studio with Shouyou cleaning the skin of his wrist with alcohol. What was he thinking when he said he wanted a tattoo? Probably only Shouyou, but details. He looked at his boyfriend with his black facemask and black rubber gloves like some sort of gothic doctor and felt his stomach sink.

Oh gods.

“Are you ok?” Shouyou asked, looking briefly at him before taking a clear marker and started to slowly draw the tattoo design on the pale skin.

“Fine.” Kenma said, serious and terrified “Is this going to hurt…?”

Sugawara, who was doing someone’s back, laughed loudly “Not at all!”

“A little because you’re not used to it.” Shouyou nodded.

Kenma nodded back, still nervous about it.

“Do you want to talk about something so you can be a little distracted? It helps sometimes.”

“Ok.” he nodded.

Sugawara laughed again “Don’t worry about it, Kenma-san! Hinata is one of the best.” he said loudly.

“Only after you, right.” the customer laying belly down said flatly.

“Of course, sweetie.” Sugawara answered with a sugary sweet voice before turning up his tattoo gun again, the customer swearing lowly.

“That’s Iwaizumi-san, he’s Suga-san’s boyfriend since high school.” Shouyou whispered loudly beside him, his eyes closing with an obvious smile behind his mask.

“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s a pain in my neck.” Iwaizumi grumbled.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m a pain in a lot of parts of your body.” the gray haired man giggled “Now stop moving I have to color this.”

Kenma smiled - they must be fun to have around.

“I’m going to begin now, Kenma.” Shouyou said, taking his own gun and looking at his boyfriend until he got a nod to continue.

Shouyou had this focused expression on his face while he worked on tracing his previous drawing with a marker, brows scrunching up together - and he thought, for a moment, that he wanted to see the complete expression without a mask to hide it.

“Why did you want to tattoo a crow’s wings in your back?” he asked softly, eyes turning to stare at the ceiling and ignoring the slight pain shooting up from his wrist.

“Hmm…” he passed the cotton with alcohol before continuing “Because I’m a crow at heart I think. School was pretty important for me, with my friends and the volleyball club. You saw my other tattoos, right? I have a lot of things related to my school.”

“That’s nice, actually.” Kenma nodded before whimpering softly “Sugawara-san has tattoos about school, too?” he asked a little more loudly after a moment.

“Oh, I have! Hinata tattooed tiny crow wings on my left shoulder. It’s really cute, I love it.”

They worked in silence for a while, Iwaizumi and Sugawara saying something low once in a while, and the constant buzzing sound of a tattoo machine (actually, two at the same time) was a little unnerving and scary - almost like a dentist appointment. The pain was dull now, not as prominent as it was at first, and Kenma was glad.

“What’s the meaning of the flower you gave me today?” Shouyou asked almost distractly.

“Hm… It’s a yellow tulip, it means…” he took a deep breath, looking somewhere else “It means sunshine in your smile…”

“Really?!” he knew he was happy with that tone.

“Yes.”

“Thank you, Kenmma! I love your smile too.” he giggled.

Kenma tried not to think about the couple a few meters behind them hearing everything they said.

And after some long awkward minutes, he was done.

“It’s beautiful, Shouyou, I really loved.” he smiled, looking at the dwarf sunflower in his wrist - it was simple, minimalistic like his boyfriend’s cherry tree, but very well done, with dark lines and faint yellow petals.

“Now we match!” Shouyou said excitedly, pulling his face mask to his chin and taking off his gloves quickly, smiling brightly as he showed his new (done only yesterday!) tattoo of a sun, in the same style as the sunflower and in the same spot.

“Yes, now we match.”  _ my sun. _

**Author's Note:**

> dwarf sunflower = adoration  
> ivy flower = friendship, fidelity, marriage
> 
> [where i got the flower meanings](https://www.almanac.com/content/flower-meanings-language-flowers)


End file.
